Career Center of Harnett & Lee County

Services

Welcome to the Career Center at Central Carolina Community College! Here you will be able to connect to a multitude of career development resources and employability skill building tools. The CCCC Career Center Staff promotes, coordinates, and provides services to assist students and alumni with career planning and operative job search strategies that will enhance discernment of individual values, interests, transferable skills, career goal setting, and academic advising. Individual career counseling, career and self-assessment (employability training) workshops, and on campus recruitment events, are services provided by the Center’s staff. The Career Center strives to provide engaging programs, services and support that will serve the professional needs of students, alumni, the college, our workforce development partners and the business community in reaching their highest potential.

Career Center Mission Statement: It is the mission of the Career Center to educate students and alumni on how to make successful and purposeful career-related decisions as they transition into today's dynamic world of work.

Resources

Self-Assessments and Career Inventories

CCCC Career Center Staff can direct you to various tools online that will help you to identify your interests, skills, values and personality traits that are unique to you. The Career Center encourages the use of these online links in conjunction with other career resources (Career Counseling, Job Shadowing, etc.) to aid in making an informed decision about your career path.

Here is a listing of various online career self-assessments and inventories for you to use:

Résumé, Cover Letter, Reference Listing and Thank You Note Writing

The Career Center at Central Carolina Community College offers students, alumni, and members of the community with organizing a professional portfolio that includes a résumés, cover letter, references, recommendation letters, copies of certifications, licensure and degrees. If you should need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact your Career Center on the Sanford campus at (919) 718-7396 or (919) 718-7282 or on the Lillington campus at (910) 814-8834.

Here are examples of various résumé, reference listings, cover letter and thank you note formats for your reference

Employment Interview Preparation

Even with the most impressive résumé and cover letter, you still need to impress your potential employer with a great interview. For some, that may not come as easy or naturally. We encourage you to meet with a member of the Career Center Staff to practice your interviewing skills to receive helpful feedback and review the various types of interview formats being used by employers today.

FAQs

The Career Center is a centralized career planning and recruitment center for Central Carolina Community College. The Center provides resources and activities to help students and alumni in all areas of career planning and job search. The centers are located on the Lee County Main campus in the Bell Welcome Center and Harnett County Campus in the Miriello Administration Building- Student Services Center. The Career Center has a qualified staff to deliver professional career counseling to students, alumni and community members.

Visit the Career Center on the Lillington Campus in the Miriello Administration Building in the Student Services Center on (regular hours) Monday - Tuesday from 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. or (summer hours) Monday - Tuesday 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Fridays Closed

You can also visit the Career Center on the Main Campus in Lee County in the Bell Welcome Center or call (919) 718-7282 for an appointment on Wednesdays - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (regular hours) or (summer hours) Wednesday - Thursday: 8:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. and Fridays Closed

Personal information that you reveal to a counselor is kept strictly confidential. Information, however, relating to your academics may be discussed with other staff at Central Carolina Community College when applicable with the intent to help the student do better and possibly remove barriers.

The Career Center has computers with online internet capability for your use. Using the internet can help you find out more about yourself, your major, the job market, choosing a career path and many other employability areas of interest. If you are not sure how to best use the Internet, you can call and make an appointment with a member of the Career Center staff at (919) 718-7396 or (919) 718-7282 and they will be happy to assist you.

Any student attending Central Carolina Community College can use the Career Center and its facilities along with alumni and potential students considering college enrollment. Internal Employees of CCCC can also the use the Career Center.

Many students at Central Carolina Community College find themselves asking this question. You are not alone. This is not a simple question to answer. The process of finding out what you should major in has a number of steps.

Focusing. Identify your most important values, interests, skills and abilities. Discover who YOU are and what you want to achieve in your life. Knowing more about yourself can lead you to consider majors which better fit with who you are as a person. The Career Center utilizes a special software program called OnetOnline.org which can help you do this. As well as the Transition to Work Inventory (3rd Edition) and the Career Personality by John J. Liptak. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) based on theories proposed by Carl Gustav Jung and the Strong Interest Inventory(R) Assessment based on the work of E. K. Strong Jr.

Exploring. Gathering information about the educational and occupational options available to you is essential. Talk with advisors, teachers, friends and people in the field that you think you might be interested in. The Internet has numerous resources on-line that can assist in exploring job roles and position titles that may be of interest to the seeker. For example, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, ONET Online and the Occupational Outlook Handbook are very reliable resources which are often used by staff in the Career Center to help students learn about different occupations.

Evaluating. Once you gather the information you have to consider what you have and weigh the consequences of each option. Staff in the Career Center can help you with this.

Choosing. Now you have to consider the programs of study offered by Central Carolina Community College and choose one that best fits you and what you think may contain your values, interests, skills and abilities and possible future career opportunities.

Reevaluate. From time to time it is helpful to review your decision and evaluate if you are still satisfied. You may want to speak to a member of the Career Center staff during this time.

With your college degree in any major you can begin developing a career in many different fields provided you develop your communication and writing skills, be flexible, willing to learn, and work hard.

The first paragraph should contain information on why you are writing this company. If you are responding to a specific job position, state the title of the position, where you saw the listing and the date of the listing, if relevant.

The second paragraph should point out your achievements and qualifications in this field especially those that meet the job description or requirements. Refer to your résumé and mention just some of the ways your experience fits with the job description.

The next paragraph should tell why you are interested in working for this particular employer. Mention the employer by name! The closing paragraph should pave the way for the interview by asking for an appointment.

Try writing a cover letter and bringing it to the Résumé Writing and Cover Letter workshop for review; or show it to the career center coordinator or the career development specialist for feedback.

If you don't have a résumé, that is definitely a reason to visit the Career Center and pick up the résumé writing guide. Use one of the examples to help you compose your résumé. The Career Center has a great résumé creation software package entitled Winway Résumé Deluxe that we can use to help format, tailor and create your résumé. Make an appointment with a member of the Career Center staff to review it. Or plan to attend an Effective Résumé Writing workshop sponsored by the Career Center which goes into even more detail about the effective way to write an award winning résumé that captures the attention of employers in today's job market.

Every interview is different and therefore impossible to prepare the answer to every possible question. Preparing the answers to certain questions such as the following and learning about the company before the interview can be helpful.

Tell me about yourself.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Why should I hire you?

Why did you leave your last employer?

You should attend an Interview Workshop or make an appointment with a member of the Career Center staff to perform a mock interview before going on that actual, professional Interview. Practice. It really does make for perfection.

You can also use Win Way Résumé the "Perfect Interview" system software located on computers inside the Career Center in the Bell Welcome Center to view virtual videos. If you are a visual/audio learner this teaching method will work well for you. Feel free to speak to any member of the Career Center staff on scheduling an appointment to use this tool.

Yes, always send one, if at all possible within a 24-hour period of time following the interview. It should be short, direct and to the point. Each person who interviewed you should receive their own individual note. You should begin by sincerely thanking the interviewer for taking time to interview you, and then follow with a reference being made of something that was discussed during the interview and a closing that includes your contact information if questions and your request for further contact to be made with you once a decision have been decided. Try writing one and then bringing it to the Career Center for a staff member to review.

The Career Center has several reference materials that will allow for in-depth research to be performed on occupations within a certain industry. The Career Center Library has pamphlets, books, brochures, and internet access which can suggest an abundance of possibilities.

Work-Study: The Central Carolina Community College Work-Study program provides a means of hiring motivated students where you can develop your skills and gain valuable experience. Work-study allows you to integrate your academic and practical skills both in and out of the classroom.

Volunteering: This is a wonderful way to not only gain work experience but also to explore whether you really like to work in a particular profession. It often allows flexible work hours so it doesn't conflict with your class schedule.

Part-time Job: Getting a part-time job after school or on the weekend can help you gain valuable experience and more confidence. You also have the benefit of being paid and perhaps feeling more independent.

Internship: This experience will give you a head start on your career and allow you to gain access to hands-on-experience. An internship can thus round out your college experience and point to areas where you may want to investigate further.

Many companies have their own websites with valuable information about who they are. Most of the time this information is found under their About Us tab, which is normally located on their home page. In addition, I might suggest that you visit the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. The BBB is a very reliable resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and industries and their ethical practices.

Career Center staff and possibly your department's bulletin board or academic program faculty/administration will be able to share any part-time job opportunities they are made aware of. Sometimes part-time jobs are advertised in store windows and in the local neighborhood newspapers. Also check out church, club and community bulletin boards for possible leads. Don't forget to ask your friends and relatives for word-of-mouth referrals. Remember seasonally part-time jobs appear more frequently. For example, around the holiday season the department/retail stores need extra help; during tax season, tax services need help; during the summer, parks and recreation facilities need help, etc. Anticipate your needs and apply early.

Career Center staff members will also be able to assist you in your job searching. Just phone (919) 718-7396 or (919) 718-7282 in Lee county and (910) 814-8834 in Harnett county to make an appointment. But before starting your full time job search, make sure you are ready with, (1) a well-constructed résumé; (2) a cover letter, and; (3) good interviewing skills. Try and plan to attend at least one if not all the Employability Workshops offered by the Career Center throughout the semester. Inquire with your department's faculty and administration for job leads.

Yes. About 60-70 companies come to our annual Career Fair held in March of every year at the Dennis Wicker Civic Center in Sanford. Posters are placed throughout all three CCCC campuses, cougarmails are sent to students and alumni along with an announcement being placed on blackboard (Bb). The information is also placed on the official Career Center website at www.cccc.edu/careercenter and the college's home page www.cccc.edu under the Calendar tab.

There is so much information about this area that it would be better to schedule an appointment to visit the Career Center and talk with a staff member in order to pinpoint you career goals with a particular government agency. There are several websites devoted exclusively to government jobs. You can start with www.usajobs.gov for federal jobs and www.osp.state.nc.us/jobs for state jobs.

Academic skills and some work experience can be very helpful. However, when employers are asked what they expect of entry-level, recently graduated college students they respond by saying they want the following:

a good attitude and is motivated.

dependable and able to follow directions.

a team player.

adaptable to changing conditions.

accountable for one's own their actions.

prior work experience before graduating either through internship, volunteering, work study or actual employment.

When you go on an interview, the employer may want to know more about you and may want to verify what you've said during the interview by talking to people who know you and know how you behave in a work or academic setting. You would then be required to furnish the names, addresses and phone numbers of such individuals. These individuals would be called "references" and usually are persons who supervised you at work or teachers/instructors who taught you in school or college. If you plan to use someone as a reference, you should ask that person if it is okay BEFORE you give out his or her contact information. Only supply references for those people who will speak well of you.

The Career Center Library has many books, pamphlets, brochures and videos which can help you find out more about various careers. Newspaper articles and business magazines can also be a valuable source of information. But nothing is more accessible and has more information than professional credentialing web sites linked to a specific profession, such as SHRM (Society of Human Resources Management), NCCA (NC Counseling Association), DCPA (Division of Certified Public Accounting), ABNS (American Board of Nursing Specialties), etc. For assistance with exploring majors and careers of interest, please call the Career Center for an appointment at (919) 718-7282 or (919) 718-7396.

Think about the jobs you have had whether paid or unpaid and what you were required to do. This may suggest to you some skills which you have. You can make an appointment with a member of the Career Center staff to take an online assessment test which can help give you some ideas as well.

No matter which field you choose, you will find a computer there. It is, therefore, so important that you become computer literate. During your college years learn keyboarding MSWord, Excel, and PowerPoint so that you can generate your own letters and data. You may even consider taking a minor in Computer Applications while in high school or college.

You can sit down with yourself and think about the things you like to do during your free time, what your hobbies are, what you like to talk about, what your favorite school subjects are, what you like to read, and what jobs you have had in the past that you liked. All of these may give you insight into your interests and skills. Also the Career Center has OnetOnline, a software program that can assess your interests, skills, and abilities to aid you in this discovery. Discussing these issues with Career Center staff can be very helpful as well.

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